ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is the United States' leading civil rights and civil liberties advocacy organisation, founded in 1920 and engaged in litigation, lobbying, and public education across constitutional issues including free speech, due process, and immigration rights. At the 2026 World Cup, the ACLU has been active in monitoring and challenging immigration enforcement activities associated with the tournament, which gained urgency after ICE acting director Todd Lyons told Congress that ICE would be 'a key part of the overall security apparatus' for the tournament and declined to rule out enforcement near match venues .

The ACLU's World Cup-related concern sharpened when UNITE HERE Local 11 filed a California Consumer Privacy Act complaint alleging that FIFA shared accreditation data — including workers' nationality and home addresses — with ICE. The union and civil liberties advocates argued this created a chilling effect on workers who might otherwise have reported labour violations or participated in strike activity . The ACLU has consistently opposed the use of civil and commercial data-sharing arrangements to facilitate immigration enforcement.

Beyond the World Cup, the ACLU operates across all 50 US states, litigates in federal and state courts, and has approximately 4 million members. Its involvement in 2026 World Cup labour and civil liberties questions reflects a broader pattern of the organisation engaging wherever federal enforcement powers intersect with vulnerable workers' rights — a pattern that has intensified since 2025.